Free To Love
by ziva2012
Summary: A love story just for you for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"Free to Love"

Somewhere in our galaxy, on a day that had started out as a simple meet and greet...

"If you need to beat a woman to feel like a man, then beat me!"

The sound of flesh hitting flesh sounded like the crack of rifle fire. And before Sam had time to recover from the slap, he had grabbed her hair in his fist and pulled her head toward him. Turghan sneered at Captain Samantha Carter, his almond-shaped eyes blazing, his face mere inches from hers.

He had never seen a woman like this pale, yellow-haired stranger. She was lovelier than anything he had ever imagined, but she also had the mouth of a viper! He hoped she would be worth what he had paid the boy for her. He decided not to waste anymore time before finding out.

And then the Mongol war lord kissed her, the smell of his rancid breath making her sick to her stomach. But she would not flinch or show any sign of revulsion or fear. For she could see something besides hatred in his eyes...she could see lust, and that scared her more than she thought possible. Sam was well-trained and a confident soldier; she wasn't afraid to face any man in a fight, even in hand-to-hand combat. But a man who used sexual aggression to punish and control was every woman's worst nightmare.

"Get out," he yelled, throwing an arm out to gesture toward the exit.

His wives ran, afraid of what he would do to them if they disobeyed. And then he was on her, his strong hands tearing open the bodice of the blue dress. In one quick duck of her head, Sam was able to sink her teeth into the fleshy part of his right hand. Turghan howled in pain and struck her so hard she passed out from the blow.

Sometime later...Sam couldn't be certain how much time had passed...she was being revived by gentle hands lifting her head and offering her a drink of water. To her disappointment she found that her hands were tied again, but this time behind her back, and she was still inside Turghan's tent.

"Drink. He will come back, but not until the sun sets. You would be wise to do as he says," the dark-haired woman told her.

Sam lay on her side on a bed of fur pelts to one side of the chair where the Mongol leader had sat earlier when she and Abu had first arrived. Feeling her strength returning she lifted her head a bit and took a few sips of the cool water. Sam recognized the woman who was holding the wooden cup to her lips. She was the girl Nya's mother. She was also the woman Sam had saved from being whipped. Sam hoped the woman would repay a kindness.

"I really need to get back to my people. Will you help me? Untie me?"

"No, I cannot! Do not speak of such things," she warned hastily as she rose and hurried out of the tent.

A shadow filled the doorway and Sam looked up. It was Turghan, and she knew she would have to make a quick decision; either she would submit to him and survive long enough to be rescued by the rest of her team, or she would try to fight him off and probably be killed.

Well, she had suspected that gate travel would be the death of her one day. She just hadn't expected that day would come quite this soon.

In the nearby hills Sam's teammates were watching the activity in the encampment below. The sun had set just a little while ago, and the open area between the tents was illuminated by several large campfires. Men, women and children were gathered around the fires eating and drinking, their quiet chatter interrupted every now and then by a loud peel of laughter or the barking of a dog.

After much cajoling Abu had agreed to lead them here, but he would go no further into enemy territory, particularly after the warning he had received from Turghan earlier that day. That was fine with Jack; he didn't really want the boy along anyway. He reminded Jack too much of another boy...a boy named Skaara...who Jack had been unable to save from the Goa'uld. And even though Jack understood why Abu was hurting, Jack couldn't feel too sorry for him.

Because of the boy, Captain Carter, the woman Jack had lusted after and loved...heaven help him...since the moment he'd first met her just three months ago, was in big trouble and needed their help. And so the leader of SG-1 had sent Abu home. The boy had departed without looking back, his head down as he rode quietly away.

"What are we gonna do, Jack," Daniel hissed, keeping his voice low.

All three remaining members of SG-1 were laying stretched out on their bellies, watching the scene below through their field glasses. This was their first time out together as a team, and they hadn't expected trouble on this seemingly innocuous planet. And yet here they were, finding it necessary to rescue of one of their own from some pretty primitive, yet dangerous people.

"We need to scout the area and figure out where they're keeping her. Teal'c, you go around to the left and take a look. I'll go around to the right. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes," Jack told the big Jaffa. "Daniel, you wait here and keep your eyes open."

"But..."

"Do as I say, Dr. Jackson."

Jack slowly and carefully made his way closer to the camp. He crept quietly to a copse of trees about fifty feet of the nearest tent and crouched down to listen. He could see the man Abu had pointed out earlier as the leader of this tribe, and the guy was walking away from his position and toward a large tent at the far side of the clearing. Jack figured that was probably where Teal'c was right now.

Jack kept low, chewing is bottom lip as he tried to decide what to do. He figured that if he were the Mongol chief, he'd have Carter where he could keep an eye on her. Jack also thought the man would keep her close by at night to warm his bed, and that thought sent Jack's temperature soaring, even in the cold night air. With thoughts of the woman he loved in the arms of that filthy bastard, Jack hurried back to Daniel's position. Teal'c was already there.

"T, I think that's Turghan's tent...right there! And I'm betting she's in there," Jack stated, and Teal'c nodded.

"I concur, O'Neill. He would keep his newest possession close at hand."

"My God, Jack, do you suppose he's..."

Jack didn't let the younger man continue. He didn't know what Sam's captor had done to her by now, and he wouldn't allow himself time to think about the possibilities.

"I don't know, Daniel. Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Jack began, and the two men listened intently.

Jack had decided that a distraction might be the only thing that would give them time to get to Carter and get her out of there. And to that end he told Daniel what he wanted him to do. Jack instructed the archaeologist to creep around behind the tent on the opposite side of the camp from the largest one. It was also next to where the horses were tied up. He told Dr. Jackson to gather together some dry wood and stack it up against the back of the tent.

"You want me to start a fire," Daniel asked in horror.

"Yes, Daniel! We need a distraction. Here, use this," he said, handing Daniel his cigarette lighter. "And for God's sake, don't let anyone hear you! Light her up in exactly five minutes from now, and then get the hell back here! Go! Teal'c, come with me," Jack said, and they hurried off to the right.

In three minutes Jack and Teal'c were in place behind the big tent. They hunkered down behind some bushes, approximately twenty feet from the back wall of the tent and waited for all hell to break loose.

"Do you trust Dr. Jackson to do as you say," the big Jaffa asked him in a whisper.

"He'd better, or I'll break his scrawny neck," Jack answered.

Jack had to admit he didn't always trust Daniel, but he certainly didn't want the man involved in the combat part of this mission...if it came to that. Dr. Jackson was a great scientist, linguist, whatever, but when it came to fighting, the man was still a cadet or worse!

They waited three minutes...four minutes and then finally they heard screams erupting from the far side of the encampment. Shouts could be heard coming from all around the camp, but Jack couldn't understand anything that was being said. He could only hope that the leader would come outside to see what was happening, giving them time to rescue Carter.

"Let's do this," he hissed, and both he and Teal'c ran up to the back of the big tent. Teal'c had his staff weapon at the ready, and Jack carried his knife in his hand. Without hesitation he plunged it into the sturdy material that made up the tent wall and sliced downward, silently making a large rent in the fabric. He knew that if the Mongol leader was standing there watching him, his chance of succeeding would be slim. And that's why he had told the Jaffa warrior to stand ready to shoot anything that moved.

But Jack could see no one inside the tent when he stuck his upper body through the tear. He pushed inside, turning sideways to slip into the tent. Teal'c followed with less ease.

Jack stopped and looked around at the apparently empty tent. But then suddenly he heard it...a low moan coming from somewhere near the chair that sat directly in front of him. And there, on a mound of skins, he saw his Captain, her blonde hair sticking up from under a covering of dark fur.

Jack kept his body low as he stepped forward, coming down on one knee next to her. Sam's body was covered by a large fur pelt, and at first Jack didn't realize that she was totally nude under it. But then he touched her through the pelt and she jerked, reaching out one bare arm to fend him off, her palm flat against his chest.

"No, please...no more," she said, her voice begging.

The fur blanket slipped down as her back came up off the makeshift bed, revealing the tops of her bare creamy breasts.

"Carter, it's me," he hissed, shoving his knife back into the sheath on his leg.

Her eyes met his in a split second of recognition, and she gasped. His hand found hers and squeezed, her fingers gripping his tightly.

"Can you walk," he asked, not sure what injuries she might have received at the hands of this animal.

He suspected some of what may have happened to her, but now was not the time or the place to discuss it. In fact, Jack wasn't certain he ever wanted to know the truth about her experiences in this place.

"Yes! But I'm...I don't have anything on," she said, pulling her fingers from his grip and using them to grab hold of the fur pelt, in an effort to keep herself covered. She succeeded, but not before Jack caught a glimpse of one firm breast.

It was all he could do to keep his mind on exactly why he was there.

He quickly picked her and the fur covering up in his arms and headed back the way he had come. Teal'c was there at his side, holding the fabric open so that Jack could carry his prize through the opening. And then they were hurrying, as fast as Jack could run carrying a one-hundred-and-ten-pound Captain in his arms, toward the nearby hill.

Jack laid her down on the ground and quickly rummaged around in her pack for her clothes. He handed them to her, and then he and the other men turned their back so she could get dressed. They could hear screams and shouts coming from the camp, but nothing they heard told them whether or not their deception had been discovered.

She knew they didn't have much time before Turghan would know she was missing, and so Sam got dressed in record time, even for her.

Jack seemed to sense when she was fully clothed, and just at that moment he turned around, picking up his pack and heading off in the direction from which they had first come. The rest of his team followed.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The man had not been expecting any off-world teams back until the following afternoon, so when the 'off-world activation' announcement woke him out of a sound sleep at 0300, he was very surprised and more than a bit concerned.

"Who is it, Sergeant," Hammond shouted as he ran for the gate room, his speed belying his pudgy build.

"It's SG-1, Sir," the young airman said as he jogged alongside his General. The two men entered through the open blast doors, as the Colonel on duty came bounding down the metal stairs. He nodded at Hammond and allowed his CO to take charge of the situation.

Captain Sam Carter came down the ramp and just kept on walking, disappearing through the doors and down the hall, while Teal'c and Dr. Jackson hung back.

"Colonel O'Neill, what happened to your mission," George asked, as the Colonel unclipped his P-90 and handed it off to one of the waiting airman. Teal'c handed over his staff weapon, and Daniel gave the airman his hand gun, and then they seemed to hang back, waiting for Jack.

Hammond could sense that Jack was not in the mood to talk, but at least the man gave him a one word answer. Captain Carter hadn't even acknowledged his presence, which was very unlike her.

"FUBAR, Sir," Jack uttered before stomping out of the room.

George knew enough about Col. Jack O'Neill to realize that would have to do for now. Col. O'Neill would have a report on his desk by tomorrow afternoon, or his name wasn't General George Hammond! Since Dr. Jackson and Teal'c didn't seem in a hurry to leave, George decided to question them before checking on Captain Carter.

"Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, will you please tell me what happened out there?"

"We ran into a little trouble with the natives, Sir. I'm afraid Captain Carter suffered the most," he offered, vaguely.

"You want to elaborate on that," he asked as they strolled side-by-side out of the gate room.

"Yes, just not here," Daniel told him. Teal'c bowed and walked off in the same direction as Jack. Daniel and General Hammond climbed the stairs to the Generals' office, two flights up.

Once they were seated, Gen. Hammond asked Daniel to continue.

"Son, what happened?"

"Well, sir, Captain Carter was abducted and sold to the chief of a Mongol-like tribe."

"Sold! How on earth did that happen?"

"A young man, who wanted to marry the chief's daughter, tried to use Sam as collateral with which to purchase his intended bride. The chief refused, but gave the young man gold coins in exchange for Sam. As soon as it got dark, I created a diversion and Jack and Teal'c got Sam out. It took us hours to get back to the gate, because we had to stay off the trails. I'm afraid we're all pretty tired, Sir. I'm sure Jack and Sam will speak to you tomorrow," he said, trying to cover for his two friends.

"There's no need for you to make excuses for them, son. But I guess I can wait and speak to Captain Carter in the morning," the General told him as he rose from his chair. "I'm sure she's gone to the infirmary. See to it that you get down there right away. And make sure Teal'c gets checked out too."

"Yes, Sir. I'm on my way," Daniel responded, relieved that the General wasn't going to insist on speaking to Jack or Sam right away.

He figured Jack and Sam both needed time to cool off. As Daniel walked to the infirmary, he thought about the last few hours and the discussion...or more like the argument...that he had witnessed between the two.

"Colonel, did it ever occur to you that I was biding my time until I saw an opening to escape?"

Sam was walking out ahead of them, and Jack was trying to keep up while stepping carefully over fallen trees and other debris that hindered their progress over the forested terrain.

"And just exactly how long were you going to bide your time, Captain? Until Turban made you one of his wives?"

"His name is Turghan...SIR! And no, of course not! If you had just waited a few more hours..."

"A few more hours! That guy was ready to do the big nasty with you, Carter! You really didn't expect me to wait outside until he was finished, did you?"

"I could have handled him, Sir. After all, he's just a man," she added, and Jack gave her a curious look.

"What do you mean by that?"

She had finally slowed down a little, and now they were walking side-by-side, their weapons held ready, just in case Turghan or his men caught up with them.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I have been with men before. I'm not some ingenue, Sir."

"You're not? I mean I just never figured you for someone who had a lot of experience with...that sort of thing," Jack said, clearing his throat nervously.

He wasn't about to say the word 'sex', especially not in front of Daniel and Teal'c!

"Oh? And why is that, Colonel? Aren't I the type of girl you go for? Not voluptuous enough for you? Too brainy? What?!"

"Guys, don't you think this conversation is getting a little bit off topic," Daniel whined in obvious embarrassment.

"Then don't listen," Jack growled, looking back over his shoulder, and everyone came to a halt.

Teal'c looked up and actually smirked, turning his head to make sure no one saw him. Then he took point and everyone followed, Daniel in the middle with Jack and Sam bringing up the rear.

"So, Colonel, you didn't answer my question; why don't you think that I would have much sexual experience?"

"Oh, you know... It's just that you're always so..."

"So what?"

"You think so God damned much, Carter! You're always thinking about some experiment or something. And you never mention doing anything fun. I just figured you never dated, and so you probably never...you know...either."

"You know? What's 'you know', Colonel? You sound like you're in grade school," she teased.

"Ah, hell, Carter, you know what I mean," Jack complained, wishing he'd never rescued her...or at least that he hadn't done it so soon. Maybe a night or two in Turban's tent would have taught her a lesson. But he had never left a man behind, and he wasn't about to start with her, whether she liked it or not!

"Yes, I know what you mean. I'm just surprised you can't bring yourself to say it. Sometimes you are the most childish..."

"Captain Carter, watch your tone with me," Jack warned.

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir," Sam replied, but Jack still didn't like her tone of voice.

"Captain, if you're got a problem with me, you're free to file a complaint," he told her, picking up the pace until he was walking directly behind Teal'c.

Daniel didn't know if Sam would file a complaint about Jack or not. He still wasn't really sure why she was so upset. After all, they had probably saved her from being raped and tortured to death!

When he got to the infirmary, Teal'c and Jack were still there having their blood drawn, but Sam was already gone. Daniel sat on the bed behind Jack and waited his turn.

"Where have you been," Jack asked him, and Daniel mumbled something about talking to Hammond.

"What did you tell him," Jack asked, keeping his voice low, but loud enough for Daniel to hear. The nurse had taken the vial of Jack's blood to the station at the other end of the room, but now she was back. Daniel didn't answer Jack's question until they were in the locker room.

"Jack, I didn't tell him about your argument, if that's what you're concerned about. I just told the General about Sam being sold to Turghan and about us rescuing her."

"Good. And that's all he needs to know, Dr. Jackson."

"Is that an order, Jack," Daniel asked with disgust.

Teal'c didn't say anything, but both men knew he was listening to every word.

"Yes, Jackson, if that's what it takes to keep your mouth shut." Jack grabbed his BDU jacket and turned toward the door.

"Jack, you really need to work this out with Sam," he said, wondering if he'd gone too far.

"Butt out, Jackson," Jack said as he stomped out of the room.

Daniel wasn't military, but he knew a good team had to get along, and right now the only one who was getting along with everyone else was Teal'c! He decided right then and there to speak to Sam in the morning about all of this. Maybe he could help her see that she and Jack needed to clear the air between the two of them.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The instant nurse Riley said she was free to go, Sam jumped down off the bed and rushed out of the infirmary, without even so much as a glance in Jack's direction. She had felt relieved as she hurried to shower and change. Although it was almost time for another day to begin at the SGC, she wouldn't go work in the lab as she had many times before at this early hour.

Right now all she wanted to do was get home and into her soft, warm bed and pull the covers up over her head. After her ordeal, she needed to feel warm and safe, and she needed to put some distance between herself and a certain Colonel, before things were said that couldn't be buried or locked up never to see the light of day.

She stood in front of one of the eight sinks that lined one end of the large, gray room and brushed her teeth, scrubbing hard...wanting to rid herself of the taste of that horrible man. Then she rinsed and spit several times, before looking at herself in the mirror. 'I look like crap,' she told herself, as she ran her fingers through her short, golden hair.

She was only thirty-one, but right now she thought she looked forty or older. She wondered for a moment if repeated gate travel could make a person age more rapidly. It was another riddle for her to solve...another scientific study for her to do, she thought with an ironic grin, running a finger gently over the dark circles under her eyes.

Sam stripped down quickly and stuffed her dirty uniform in the cloth hamper by the door. After putting her soiled underwear in the bottom of her duffel bag, she removed her dog tags and laid them on the shelf in her locker. Then she grabbed the small bottle of her favorite shampoo and the bar of scented soap...two luxuries she allowed herself in this sterile, impersonal environment...and headed to the showers. As she walked into the communal shower room, she grabbed a towel from the stack of clean ones that were stacked on the open shelves and slung it over the hook at the entrance to the shower stall.

After adjusting the water temperature to hot but not scalding, Sam began to soap up, the familiar scent invading her head and chasing out the musky, rancid smells of Turghan and his people. As she lathered her slender, athletic body she mulled over things that had happened to her in the past twenty-four hours, thinking that if she was to tell her tale to anyone who didn't work at the SGC, they'd think she was crazy and making it all up.

It still seemed quite incredible to her, even though she had known about the stargate and it's capabilities for years now. It had only been in the past eighteen months or so that she had finally figured out how to get enough power to it without blowing the damned thing up or draining power from the entire southwestern grid.

Sam sighed, letting the water cascade over her head, rinsing away the shampoo. She thought about the boy, Abu. At first Sam had actually felt sorry for him. After all, he was only a boy who was very much in love with the pretty young daughter of a rival of his father. Abu's devotion to the girl was his strong suit. But his willingness to do almost anything to gain her hand in marriage was, in Sam's opinion, where he failed as a human being. No one had a right to own another person, Sam thought adamantly.

Even so, it was hard for her to hate him. She understood what it was like to want something...to want someONE so badly that you'd do almost anything to have them. Just how far she would go to have the man she wanted was something she tried not to think about very often, but right now thoughts of the man were difficult to suppress.

Sam grimaced as she suddenly felt a stinging sensation on her left thigh. She looked down and saw a red, three-inch-long scratch that had already scabbed over, and there were also dark blue bruises the size and shape of finger prints on both her hips.

'If the Colonel and Teal'c hadn't come in when they did, you know there'd be much more damage than that,' she reminded herself.

When faced with the choice of fighting to the death or giving in, she had finally decided to do whatever it took to keep Turghan from killing her, and that had included submitting to him sexually. And that was just what she was about to do when Daniel had created the diversion that gave Col. O'Neill and Teal'c enough time to get her out.

Of course she would leave much of that information out of her report. And since she was the only one who knew exactly what had gone on between her and that disgusting man, she was fairly certain no one else would ever find out the truth.

God, she could still taste him in her mouth! And when she closed her eyes, she could imagine his hands on her, tearing her clothing off...fondling her breasts...opening her thighs with his rough hands. She knew it was his knife that had scratched her when he'd sliced the blue dress to shreds and torn it from her body, but she hadn't even felt it at the time. Sam thought fleetingly that it was a good thing her medical exam didn't include her stripping down, because the evidence of her ordeal was very apparent.

Then her mind drifted to the argument...how insolent she had been toward the Colonel

...and how she had used anger toward him to disguise how she really felt. She had been so relieved to see him and Teal'c that she had almost thrown her arms around her CO and declared her love and undying devotion to him!

'Yeah, that would really be the way to earn your CO's trust in the field,' she chastised herself. 'My God, if I had told him how I really felt, that would have surely been the end of my career in the Air Force. And I would have never been able to look the man in the face again,' she thought, feeling the shame even now.

Well, if nothing else, this mission had proved one thing to her; she was in love with her CO, and her feelings for him were clouding her judgment. God, how did she get this fucked up!

She had railed at the Colonel for treating her like a woman, when deep down inside that was exactly how she wanted him to treat her. They had left a lot unsaid, and she knew that sooner or later they'd have to talk things out, unless of course he had her transferred off his team. The thought that he actually might do that made her stomach churn, and suddenly she felt like she was going to throw up. She leaned her forehead against the cool shower wall and took a deep breath, thinking about how she'd left him just a few minutes ago.

The silence between them in the infirmary had seemed like the roaring of some huge tidal wave. Sam had just sat their looking composed, but inside she was a seething mass of anger, fear and frustration. The thoughts running through her head had been like the loudest noise imaginable. Would Col. O'Neill ever consider her as capable as any man? Would he have her transferred off his team? But more than any of that, would he ever want her the way she wanted him?

"Captain Carter, what the hell!"

Suddenly the man in question was standing behind her, and now she could hear voices coming from the locker room. Oh, why hadn't she hurried and gotten out of there before anyone came?

"I'm sorry. I'm finished now, Sir. If you'll just..."

She reached back for her towel, keeping her eyes on the floor as she tried to wrap it around her. But Jack's hands came out and took hold of it, his fingers clutching it in a steal grip that she couldn't dislodge.

"Sir!"

"What are those bruises, and you've been cut," he almost shouted as he looked down at her naked body. She kept her back to him and kept a firm grip on the towel, but Jack wasn't letting go.

"It's nothing. Now let me get out of here," she whined, and Jack finally let go of the towel.

But instead of leaving the shower stall, he stepped closer to her, and she was forced to step up to the wall, the water soaking her and the towel she still held in one trembling hand. His hands were flat against the tiled wall, on both sides of her head, as he leaned in toward her. He didn't touch her, but Sam was almost certain he wanted to. Was her mind playing tricks on her?

"They're not nothing, Carter. How'd you get them," he asked her again, but much more quietly, his warm breath hitting her just behind her left ear. Her face was turned that direction, and she could see his face just centimeters from her own. And for a split second her tortured heart said he was going to kiss her. She shook her head to try and calm the desire she felt coiling in her belly.

"I...I don't know. But they don't hurt. Now, please...just let me go," she whimpered, and Jack suddenly stepped back. Then Sam heard him walk away, his bare feet slapping the hard floor.

Sam let out the breath she'd been holding. Then she wrapped the wet towel around her body and quickly walked back to her locker, keeping her eyes on the floor. She hadn't even thought to grab a dry towel, and she wasn't about to turn around and get one now. She was thankful that her locker was not in plain sight, so at least all she had to do was walk through the large common area in the middle where the sinks were located, and over to the ladies side of the room.

There were two rows, twelve in each, of metal lockers on this side of the big room, only half as many as on the men's side. Each locker was about seven feel tall, and they faced in toward a narrow pathway that contained several metal benches, lined up end-to-end. So once she walked between the two rows of lockers, no one in the rest of the room could see her.

Sam slumped down on the bench, the wet towel dripping onto the floor below. With her face in her hands she wept. Never in all her life had she felt this conflicted and confused. For years she had known exactly what she wanted; she had wanted a career in the Air Force, and she wanted to be a scientist and an astronaut. And then the opportunity of a life time had come along, and she had reveled in her job at the SGC. It was the kind of thing that only came along once in a life time. Hell, not even that often for most people!

And now she wasn't certain what she wanted! Shit, when had she become so messed up?

She could hear Teal'c and Daniel talking quietly, but she couldn't hear the Colonel. Sam wondered if he had gone to take his shower, now that she was no longer in there. She stood up and removed the towel, throwing the soggy thing into the hamper at the back wall. It hit the wall with a loud splat that she regretted, before it fell like a lead weight.

"Sam! Are you alright?"

It was Daniel's voice, and she wanted to answer him. But she also didn't want to sound as though she were crying. So she took a couple of seconds before she spoke, and she managed to sound fairly normal.

"I'm fine, Daniel. Just getting ready to go home," she said casually, hoping he would go shower and leave her be. Then she heard the slap, slap of bare feet on the concrete floor and figured both he and Teal'c were going into the shower room. Was the Colonel already in there? Or had he simply gotten dressed and left? She couldn't hear anything in the big room, and so she hurriedly tugged on her civvies, ran a comb through her hair and grabbed her jacket and purse. Her clothing stuck to her damp skin and the feeling was very uncomfortable, but she didn't give a shit. All she wanted to do was get home...fast!

She was relieved that she hadn't run into the Colonel in the halls or in the elevator. She figured he had left minutes earlier, which was just fine with her. She really didn't think she could face anymore of his questioning. She would have that talk with him sometime, just not today when her emotions were still so raw.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

As Sam pulled up in front of her rented house, she couldn't help but notice the familiar truck parked at the curb. She almost drove on by, but she was certain that anyone with his training would have already seen her car approaching. Plus she figured that would look childish.

Slowly she parked in front of his truck and got out, the early morning light making it possible to see that no one was sitting inside the big, black truck. Sam began walking up the sidewalk that led to her front porch, and that was when she saw him, sitting on the floor next to the door, his knees bent, arms crossed on top of them. He stood up, dusting off the seat of his jeans as she came up the steps.

She wanted to say something...anything...but she couldn't think just now, her usually active brain either too over-loaded with thoughts or shut down completely...she wasn't certain which. And so she just unlocked the door with shaking hands and stepped into the dark house.

Jack followed closely behind her. He had planned out in his mind exactly what he was going to say to her, but now his errant brain had skipped town and left him with nothing but jumbled thoughts and way too much emotion for one man to handle. Seeing her naked in the shower earlier had been a huge mistake that still had his body on high alert. In fact he had been sporting a hard-on since leaving her in the shower! And right about now he was very glad he was wearing a loose shirt and a jacket that covered his otherwise obvious arousal.

And though a part of him didn't want this to be about sex (They really DID need to talk.), he was having a hard time getting his libido to listen to anything even remotely like common sense. With all he was feeling right now...the relief at having her back...the anguish of knowing that heathen had hurt her...the hurt he had felt when they had argued...Jack was really having one hell of a time controlling himself.

If he were honest, what he most wanted to do right now was strip her naked from the waist down and slam his erection into her, right here up against the foyer wall! Well, he'd be the first one to admit he was more a man of action than one of words, but that would be way over the top even for him!

While his mind had wandered, Sam had walked ahead down the short hallway and into her combination kitchen/family room. Suddenly finding himself all alone, he quickly followed, the bright ceiling light somewhat of a shock to his tired eyes. He blinked and rubbed his eyes as he stood on one side of the counter. Sam was on the other side, ostensibly about to make something hot to drink. He watched as she filled the tea kettle and placed it on the burner.

"Instant coffee or tea," she asked him, and it took a second for her question to sink into his befuddled brain.

She had seen him rubbing his eyes and squinting at the light, his actions reminding her of her eight-year-old nephew, Jake, when he was tired and fighting bedtime. Damn but the man was simply adorable!

"Ah, no...no thank you. But you go ahead. I'll just...go sit," he said, motioning toward the sofa that faced the fireplace. He went over and sat down, deciding to give her some space...and him more time to remember what in the hell he had planned to say to her.

After getting a tea bag out of the pantry and placing it in a cup, Sam remained in the kitchen, as though wanting to stay as far away from him as possible. As he glanced over his shoulder at her, Sam took a step away from where she was leaning against the counter. And for a second he thought she might come over and sit with him. But instead she stayed where she was, her hands twisting in front of her. He couldn't ever remember seeing her so nervous, but then he had only known her for a few months.

Jack turned his back on her and found himself staring into the dark fireplace. He thought a fire would be nice, since it was a bit chilly in here. Also, maybe a fire would warm his frozen brain and help him think. Starting a fire would also give him something to do with his nervous hands, which were currently fiddling with the hem of his shirt

His ex-wife Sara had once said he had carpenter's hands...the kind that always had to be busy making something. Maybe she was right, because he did always seem to need something in his hands. And right now the thing he wanted to touch the most was on the far side of the room. Damn! Why didn't she come over here! Was she that afraid of him?

"Mind if I build a fire?"

"No! Of course not. Go ahead. There should be plenty of dry wood on the back porch. Just to the right of the door," she added, and then she watched as he got up and went to the back door.

He turned the lock and opened it, stepping out onto the porch to collect three logs, which he stacked on the hearth. Then he removed his jacket and threw it over the back of the sofa. Sam watched him, unable to take her eyes off his broad shoulders and trim waist as he twisted up the old newspapers and chose kindling from the black bucket sitting next to the fireplace.

She noticed how he worked, preparing the fire quickly and efficiently, as though he'd done it a million times before. And then he stood up and picked up the logs, laying them one at a time on top of the kindling, and Sam's eyes were glued to his ass until the tea kettle began to whistle, sounding like a warning to her to stop checking out her CO!

By the time she sat down with her tea, the fire was already sending tendrils of warmth across the space and to her chilled body.

Jack, who had been crouching in front of the fire, sat back down on the sofa, relieved and excited to find her sitting only one cushion away from him. Of course the sofa WAS the only thing to sit on in the small room, but still...

For a few minutes they sat there in silence, until Sam reached out and placed her cup and saucer down on the coffee table. She had found that the comfort of the fire and the hot chamomile tea had soothed her nerves just a bit, and so he felt composed enough to speak.

"So, Colonel, do you always just show up at your subordinate's house like this?"

She could have slapped herself upside the head for the smart-assed question and her disrespectful tone of voice. What the hell had gotten into her! She hurried to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I shouldn't have said that. What I meant was..."

"I know what you meant, Sam, and your question was justified. And no, I don't usually just show up at ANYONE'S house unannounced or uninvited. It's just that you...we...

Look, Sam, I've never been good with words, especially when it comes to my feelings," he said, sitting forward, one hand swiping through his graying hair and then over his face. He released a long sigh, and looked over at her.

"I'm in love with you, Sam," he stated, and Sam just stared at him for what seemed like hours.

Finally he couldn't stand the silence any longer. He thought he knew what she was thinking, and that she was probably just a hair's breath away from calling the MP's. He figured that this time he'd gone too far. He knew he would step too far over the line some day; he just hadn't thought it would be over a woman!

"I'm sorry. I'll leave right now, and I'll put in for a transfer," he said as he stood up to leave.

Sam was still glued to her seat, obviously unable or unwilling to move or to say anything. And Jack took her silence as an affirmation that he was correct; she didn't return his feelings, and so he should just get out as quickly as possible. He was half way to the front door, his jacket clutched in one hand, when he heard her call out to him.

"Jack! Please! Don't go!"

Sam came at a run and hurled herself at him, her momentum pushing him back against the closed door of the guest bathroom. Before he knew what was happening her lips were crushing his, and her hands were clutching at his neck and shoulders with the strength of three women.

Jack dropped his coat to the wood floor and grabbed hold of her biceps, pulling with all his might, until she stood at arm's length, her big blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Carter! What the hell!"

"Jack, I love you too!"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

AN: I hope you have enjoyed this story. I have been working hard on my new e-book which will be released by Liquid Silver Books on Monday, Feb 17th. I hope you will read it. And remember to look for Jack, Sam, Janet, Daniel and Cassie in the characters. Thanx! ziva aka Marie Caron

And now, on with FREE TO LOVE...

Jack and Sam just stared at each other for a beat, and then they came together like the vortexes of two tornadoes, swirling and sucking each other in, until they couldn't tell where one person ended and the other began. Jack's lips and teeth were all over her neck, face and upper chest, his nose nudging open her shirt in its quest to reach even more of her delicate, pale skin.

Sam's lips fought to keep up, sucking in the tanned skin of his neck, marking him as hers before sucking an earlobe into her warm, wet mouth. She followed the move by sticking her tongue into his ear, causing Jack to yelp.

"Jeeezus, woman! Do you have any idea what you do to me," he hissed between his lips and her skin, his hands tearing open her blouse, sending buttons flying around the narrow space.

Sam shrugged out of it, letting it drop to the floor. Then she watched in delight as Jack's lips fastened onto one of her nipples, right through her sport bra. And now his hands were pulling her skirt up to her waist, so that he could hook his long fingers in the elastic of her panties. Sam shivered, and it wasn't from the cold. In truth she was so excited that she thought she might come before he even got her underwear off!

"Get these off," he ordered, and Sam did as she was told, pulling her panties down to her knees and then letting them fall to the floor.

She stepped out of them as Jack pulled her bra up over her head and threw it somewhere down the hallway. The first feel of his lips on her bare breast was like nothing she had known...not with any of the guys she had been with before. His lips were so firm yet soft, and he seemed to know just exactly how to work her nipples, sucking on them while his tongue dragged over the tip, rapidly sending her spiraling toward the summit of her first orgasm. Amazed by her response to him, she came sweet and hard.

"Oh, God! Jack, what you do to me!"

Sam's body flinched and fell forward over his, her arms gathering him to her, her body shuddering in the throes of a bliss-filled ecstasy. She nuzzled into his hair, breathing him in, elated at finally being able to fill her senses with him...excited to finally be able to get really close to him and learn him.

Jack felt like he was suffocating, his face smashed between her breasts, but he wasn't about to complain. He held her tight, one hand at her waist, while the other hand began to delve between her folds, his knee urging her to separate her legs more. Sam moaned, long and low. Her pussy was soaked, and he smiled smugly, knowing she was wet for him. Realizing she was more than ready, he straightened up and unzipped his pants, reaching into his Jockies and pulling out his throbbing erection. Then he lifted her leg and urged her to put it around his hips. His other hand came up to cup her ass and lift her a bit.

Sam's hand slipped down between them to help guide him to her entrance, and what she found there made her heart skip a beat. His cock was huge...long and really thick. It felt silky soft, especially the glans, and she took just a second to brush her fingers over it, feeling him shudder before she withdrew her hand. She'd have to check it out up close and personal some other time, but right now she wanted to feel it inside her.

Sam lifted her other leg around his waist and hung on, clutching at his shoulders and back with both hands, crying out in shock when she felt him push into her. Her nails dug clear through his shirt and into his flesh as she cried out.

"Oh, fuck! Jeezus, Jack!"

It hurt a little, but she wasn't about to tell him. Sam closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing her muscles...muscles that hadn't been used in quite a while. Sam hadn't had sex in a very long time...since her broken engagement eighteen months earlier. And for all those months Sam had been celibate...another fact she wasn't certain she wanted Jack to know...at least not yet. And right now she was thinking that maybe being celibate for so long wasn't such a good thing, particularly when he had such a big cock!

God, she was tight! He pulled out and then shoved back in, the pressure on his sensitive flesh almost causing him to come before he was fully inside her. Jack used all the will- power he possessed, praying he wouldn't make a fool of himself their first time...or any time. He couldn't remember ever having a woman as tight as her before, and the feeling of forcefully shoving his cock inside her hot flesh, as deeply as the position would allow, was slowly driving him crazy.

Jack pulled out so the tip of his cock was barely breaching her hole, and then he braced himself on the wall behind her and flexed his butt and thigh muscles, thrusting himself into her harder than before, his breath huffing out in a loud grunt as he felt his rock-hard shaft reach a new depth.

Sam cried out, "Oh, God, yes!", and clutched frantically at his head, her fingers tugging his hair.

Then he began to set a fast pace, as he fell into a rhythm that was quickly driving both of them wild...pulling out and thrusting back inside her...her muscles grabbing him, still fighting the intrusion. Jack's movements became more and more erratic and his strokes shorter, until he knew he could hold out no longer.

Sam felt the first fluttering of her orgasm begin in her womb and radiate throughout her pelvis, as her muscles grabbed and released Jack's cock. And then suddenly she was coming and crying his name, "Jack, Jack," over and over again. His release quickly followed hers, his body stopping mid-stroke as he felt the burning wave of his semen as it coursed along his shaft and into her waiting womb.

"Sam! Oh, my sweet Sam," he cried, his face buried in her neck. And then he felt his left knee give way, and he was too spent to stop himself from falling to the floor, one hot Captain Carter held very tightly to his chest. They landed in a heap on the hard floor, Jack's ass and Sam's right leg taking most of the punishment.

"Ouch," she yelled as her thigh came into contact with the floor.

Jack quickly extricated himself from her and tucked himself back into his shorts before trying to get up. But his leg was just not going to cooperate, plus he had his fucking pants down around his ankles! "God, damn it, this is embarrassing," he cursed as he finally gave up and just sat there looking totally pissed.

Sam managed to stand up, and then she held her hand out to him. For a second she thought he wouldn't take it, but finally he did, and she managed to pull him up. Then she helped him pull his jeans up and fasten them. Draping his left arm over her shoulders they began walking slowly to her bedroom.

"Come on, Colonel, I'll help you get into bed," she told him with a laugh.

"Are you sure you want a worn-out, old flyboy like me around, Sam?"

He was really starting to feel sorry for himself; Sam could see it in his face and hear it in his voice.

"To tell you the truth," she began, as he hobbled along beside her, "I wouldn't be so certain you were worth my time, if I hadn't seen and felt you in action. Just don't injure certain other parts of you, and I think you can rest assured I won't be tossing you out any time soon," she said with a chuckle.

"And what parts would that be, you impudent wench," he teased, his hand sliding down to pat her ass.

"Oh, your mouth, lips, tongue, teeth..."

"Oh,those. But what about my...you know," he asked, wagging his eyebrows at her suggestively, and Sam shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she was grinning big time.

"I can't believe we're back to that again, Sir," she complained as she helped lower him to the bed.

He sat down, and pulled Sam over to stand between his knees. She still had on her skirt, so Jack carefully unbuttoned the waistband and pulled down the zipper. Sam wiggled out of it, kicking it over to the side. Then he placed his hands gently on her hips and bent over, examining the bruises there. He kissed both hips, and then he gazed up at her sapphire eyes, his brown ones almost black in the dim light of the bedroom.

"We never did talk about things," he said, and Sam tried to pull away, but Jack looped his arm around her waist and hung on, his other hand sliding up and over her left breast before coming to rest over it in a possessive gesture.

"I don't want to talk about them, Jack. They're not important. What is important is that I need to tell you...I was lying when I said you shouldn't have tried to rescue me when you did. I was just afraid to admit, even to myself, that I want you to watch out for me...to care about me...to want me. And because of that, I know that I can't go on traveling through the gate with you anymore."

"What! What are you saying, Sam?"

His face showed shock and something else...something she recognized. She had seen the look of disappointment before on her father's face. She was letting him down, but she couldn't help it. She prayed she could make him understand.

"My feelings for you are too strong, Jack. And I think you feel the same. There would come a time, again, when your decision, or mine, would be based solely on our need to protect the other, instead of on what the mission required to be successful. We would never forgive ourselves if someone else was hurt because of us, or if a cause was lost because of us. And I think this would eventually breed resentment between us, and I'm not willing to risk our love that way, Jack."

"So, what do we do? I don't want you to give up your career for me. Christ, I want to be free to love you, Sam, but I feel like I'm needed at the SGC and on SG-1!"

He hugged her to him, his face against her stomach. Sam leaned into him, her arms encircling his head. Then she bent down and rested her face on the top of his head, feeling his fine, silky hair tickling her skin. After a couple of minutes she stood up straight and put her shoulders back. Jack gazed up at her, lines of worry etched across his forehead.

"I agree; you are needed there...very much. But I can still work at the SGC as a civilian scientist, Jack. You know how much my lab work means to me. And since I would report directly to General Hammond, I think we would be allowed to see each other," she offered.

"See each other? Hell, Sam, I want to MARRY you!"

Sam's face lit up in a smile the likes of which Jack had never seen. God, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and he still couldn't believe this was really happening.

"Marry me? You want to marry me?"

"Yes, if you'll have an old flyboy with a busted wing...er knee...that is."

"Well, I don't know, Jack. No flyboys have actually asked me to marry them," Sam said rolling her eyes to the side as she tried not to smile.

"Sam, will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Holy Hannah, yes! I'll spend the rest of my life loving you, Jack O'Neill."

THE END


End file.
